Iran has rejected U.S. and Arab calls for restraint following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, pledging retaliation regardless of the risk of war.
While Iranian officials are investigating the security lapses that led to the attack, they assert that Israel is responsible, a claim neither party has confirmed.
The U.S. is urging both Iran and Israel to de-escalate tensions, with President Masoud Pezeshkian’s administration aiming for improved relations with the West.
Iran has dismissed calls from Western and Arab countries to temper its response to Israel killing several senior Axis of Resistance leaders, including Hamas Political Bureau Chairman Ismail Haniyeh, in recent days. https://t.co/KphorLIlcB pic.twitter.com/yllmsk6INU
— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) August 5, 2024
Jordan’s foreign minister visited Tehran to discuss reducing tensions, emphasizing Jordan’s defense of its airspace.
“Anyone who wants to violate our skies, we will face that,” Jordanian foreign minister Ayman Safadi said. “Jordan will not be a battlefield. We are exposed to many consequences.”
Israel remains on high alert and is prepared for potential retaliatory strikes, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning of severe consequences for any aggression against Israel.
The incident has raised concerns over intelligence failures within Iran, leading to investigations to identify those complicit in Haniyeh’s death.
“Israel is now in a multifront war against the Iranian axis of evil,” Netanyahu said. “We are ready for any scenario, either defensive or offensive. I repeat to our enemies: We will respond and exact a heavy price for any act of aggression against us, from any arena.”
Iran and Hamas have disputed that a bomb killed Haniyeh, claiming instead that he was struck by a missile. Israel has not publicly commented on the killing.
“Whether Israel has used infiltratory elements, human agents and spies, or it has committed this crime directly are under investigation,” Iranian judiciary deputy chief Sadeq Rahimi said.
“There are gaps and contaminations in the security information system of the country,” stated Ahmad Bakhshaish Ardestani, an Iranian member of Parliament.
“We are preparing for every possibility, just as we did in advance of April 13 when Iran attacked Israel and the United States and a coalition of our partners and allies worked with Israel to defeat that attack,” U.S. deputy national security adviser Jon Finer said.
